No one can truly put a finger on it, otherwise the entire DC surrounding area wouldn't be calling for Zorn's head. The players insist the blame should fall on themselves, citing that their head coaches put them in the best opportunities week in and week out, yet they fail to execute. The fans swear the finger should be pointed at head ball coach and play caller Jim Zorn.
My opinion? Starts at the very top. At first, it appears the Skins have hit rock bottom but in reality, Zorn has begun his coaching career 9-10, the same as his predecessors Gibbs and Spurrier. Don't forget DC was picked to finish last in the NFC East by so-called experts.
In Snyder's almost 11 year tenure as owner the Skins have won the division once and made the playoffs only 2 other times. Snyder has gone through 6 coaches and numerous big-name coordinators. He's fired Vinny Cerrato then brought him back and named him Executive VP of Football Operations only to maintain the underachieving, unmotivated, alleged superstar roster that recently has turned into "Big name, no game central."
Should Zorn be fired? An argument can be made for both sides. Yes, he has all but abandoned the run on a team whose strength seemed to be running. Yes, he's made numerous questionable decisions concerning 4th downs and field position that appear so easy in hindsight. Yes, it appears the increasing pressure of scoring TDs is now affecting his play calling in the red zone.
More than likely in the upcoming weeks, Snyder will lose all patience and Zorn will be replaced as head coach. As a result the team will probably lose the majority of their remaining games and Campbell won't be re-signed in the offseason. What does this mean for Skins fans that accept nothing but instant success and playoff appearances? More disappointment, more roster turnover, more unjustified enthusiasm and more expectations that won't be met.
For those who refuse to accept the truth and honestly believe that the Skins are generally the better team but somehow find a way to continue losing, look around. Only rarely do teams maintain ineptitude: the 49ers, Dolphins, Jets, Broncos, Vikings and Falcons are all on the rise after years of playoff no-shows. But the Skins somehow always find a way to begin every season as a contender and end the season a pretender. Don't believe me? When was the last year Skins fans felt that their team actually exceeded expectations?
As far as a solution goes, I would understand the firing of Jim Zorn despite my belief that he should be allowed to at least finish the season for the sake of Campbell's and the offense's development. I do believe he will be a successful head coach in the NFL one day but it does appear that he lacks the ability to motivate and focus his team right now.
We could all be wrong if the Skins rebound from this loss and play the rest of the season with a chip on their shoulder. But barring a significant change in scheme, execution, and/or results JZ could be gone before the bye week. The only real solution is to round up everyone that actually shows up to win, not work. The players, not those "employed" by Snyder.
This has only happened once in Snyder's tenure when Sean Taylor died and the team finished the season like they had something to fight for, something to prove. It was led by the players, not coaches. Campbell, Portis, Moss, Cooley, Samuels, Griff, Fletch, DeAngelo. The Redskins lack a true leader. It's time someone took responsibility and led this team like a Peyton Manning, or Tom Brady, or Ray Lewis. Otherwise, another bystander will fall victim to the incredibly overrated and unjustified Redskin expectation juggernaut.
Tampa Bay truly has no idea what to expect. Neither do I.
Sam i'm diggin the new blog, so let me drop my two cents...
ReplyDeleteThis team lacks strong leadership at all levels in the organization, which is the reason for its failures. As you so eloquently put it we dont have a true leader that the team can lean on. We have a team of wannabe leaders and primadonas who worry more about their vanity(all the DB's) then their on the field performances. A Coaching staff clearly not able to execute a game plan. And a front office that believes throwing money at every problem is the solution.
I also have serious reservations about Jim Zorns game management abilities. As we all know against the Rams the offense got the ball into the red zone 4 times and could not capitalize on their oppertunities with TDS. Furthermore, Zorn proceeded to go for it on 4th down during the final stages of the game. Any logical football coach would have kicked a field goal to go up 12-7 with less then 2 minutes to go, forcing the oppossing team to drive the field with no timeouts left to try to score a TOUCHDOWN to win the game. Clearly Zorn doesn't use logic in calling plays as we were stopped at the 1 yard line, giving the Rams a chance to drive down the field with less then two minutes to go and no timeouts for a FIELDGOAL to win the game. Hubris! As for the Detroit game, Zorn took a penalty call that cost the skins 7 points when he should have given the Lions a FG look for MAYBE 3 points. Zorn said after the game that he was caught up in the game and was emotional in his decisions. Players should play with emotions. Coaches should coach with intelligence. Great coaches are ones that are rational decision makers. Emotional coaches are not winners.
Dan Snyder just wants to win games! But he has not found the right formula to do so. He needs to take a step back and reevaluate the way the team is built, and who has built it. Since Snyder bought the team a decade ago the Redskins have not been a ligitimate contender in the NFL. Throughout the years only one constant has remained, Vinny Cerrato...the weakest link. The way our team is built this year with the release of veteren Redskins leaders Jon Jansen and Marcus Washington, puts our team in a vulnerable position as the Offensive line and the Linebackers corp was not significanly upgraded. Given our history with injuries on the OL, the lack of depth is worrysome. All three starting linebackers are irreplacable. Can you imagine if one of them got hurt?
I hope this loss to the Lions lit a fire in team, if not we will keep playing like the Washington Pocahontas's Not the Redskins.
Die Hard Fan,
Ro